Magical Moments: Season 3 Finale

By Jim Donnelly | May 12th, 2014

Welcome to the Magical Moments for the “Snow Drifts” and "There's No Place Like Home" episodes of Once Upon a Time that served as the mind-blowing Season 3 finale! Here you’ll find highlights and insights for the recent events affecting Storybrooke, Fairy Tale Land and more. WARNING: There are spoilers here if you haven’t yet seen the episodes. Enjoy!

Look, Up in the Sky:Hook tries to convince Emma that Storybrooke is her home. It’s where her family is. Emma believes it’s a place of fairy tales. Hook wonders if she even cares about anyone in the town. Of course she does. Their intense conversation is put on hold when they see the light of the time portal in the sky.

Emma and Hook Get Pulled Into the Time Portal|Emma and Hooked are sent back in time to the Enchanted Forest of the past.|When Zelena's time portal is ignited, Emma and Hooked are sent back in time to the Enchanted Forest of the past. From Once Upon a Time's Season 3 finale, "Snow Drifts."

A Future in Doubt: Hook lets Emma know they can’t interfere with anything in the past. They see Prince Charming ride up to the spot where a tree blocks his path in the road. His betrothed, Princess Abigail, remains inside the carriage. Snow White is waiting to make her move to rob the carriage. This is the scene of the first time they met. It’s an event that suddenly becomes altered.

Emma Accidentally Changes the Past|Emma interrupts her parents' meeting, which could have dire consequences.|Emma interrupts the meeting of her parents in the past, which could have dire consequences in the future. From Once Upon a Time's Season 3 finale, "Snow Drifts."

Hear Me, Leia: Rumplestiltskin provides Emma and Hook with an invitation to the ball inside King Midas’s castle. He dresses them in proper party attire. Emma looks like a true princess even though her real face will be disguised by a glamor spell. They introduce themselves as Prince Charles and Princess Leia. They need to blend in, so Hook does a sweet waltz with Emma.

Hook Teaches Swan to Waltz|Hook and Swan try to blend in at the ball.|Hook and Swan take on the identities of "Prince Charles" and "Princess Leia" while trying to blend in at the ball. From Once Upon a Time's Season 3 finale, "Snow Drifts."

You Don’t Know What You Got Till it’s Gone: Snow White confronts the Evil Queen with her dark fairy dust. It turns out to be no match for dark magic. Snow White’s execution is ordered. Emma and the others watch helplessly as Regina sets her ablaze. Emma knows that if Snow White had truly died, her daughter would have faded from existence. Yet she’s still here. See how everything changes for Emma in these two heart-wrenching scenes.

The Evil Queen Executes Snow White|As Emma and Prince Charming look on, the Evil Queen executes Snow White.|As Emma and Prince Charming look on in horror, the Evil Queen executes Snow White. From Once Upon a Time's Season 3 finale, "There's No Place Like Home."

Emma Gets Back Her Magic|Emma's magical powers are restored when she needs them most.|As Emma realizes Storybrooke is her home, her magical powers are restored, allowing her to open the time portal and go home. From Once Upon a Time's Season 3 finale, "There's No Place Like Home."

Wedding in the Woods: David announces that his son is being named for a great hero. His name is to be Prince Neal. Cheers and tears flow through Granny’s Diner. Moments later, Emma learns that Hook traded the Jolly Roger to save her. This leads to a passionate kiss under the night sky. Elsewhere, under those same Storybrooke stars, Belle is led through the woods to Mr. Gold where they exchange their wedding vows.

Blast from the Past: Both Regina and Robin feel the guilt of losing their first loves. The prisoner from the past is panicked when she sees the woman she knows as the Evil Queen. Then she’s overjoyed to see her long lost husband, Robin Hood. This mystery prisoner’s name: Marian. Regina is devastated. She blames Emma for this. She warns that she better hope she didn’t bring anything else back with her. Turns out she did.